Lebanon will look to continue its winning momentum in the Intercontinental Cup when it takes on Mongolia in its second game, at the Kalinga Stadium here on Monday.
On paper, the match is a battle of complete opposites – one between the highest-ranked (No. 99) and lowest-ranked teams (No. 183) in the tournament.
But Lebanon – after its first match against Vanuatu – would know how a closely-knit defence can stifle counter-attacks. In the first half, the Vanuatuan pair of Jason Thomas and Brian Kaltak were instrumental in stopping Hassan Maatouk and co. in their tracks.
That will be the ray of hope for Mongolia, going into the game.
The Blue Wolves played five men at the back against India in their previous game and are expected to continue with the same shape here.
Their defensive organisation prevented Igor Stimac’s side from scoring any more goals after the early double, something that was lauded by Stimac himself and Indian winger Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Mongolia, however, will have to be cautious about clearing second balls by goalkeeper Monkh-Erdene Enkhtaivan and its defence, with errors there leading to India’s early goals in the previous match.
Lebanon beat Vanuatu 3-1 in its previous match – two of the three came from corners.
Mongolia, in its practice on Sunday, made it very evident that it will mark set pieces tightly, with head coach Ichiro Otsuka emphasising quick clearances.
Lebanon, on the other hand, would hope to ride on the consistency of its captain Maatouk, who assisted twice in the previous game and expects its No. 9 Karim Darwich to not miss sitters like those he did in the first game.
Maatouk was the Luka Modric for Lebanon against Vanuatu, switching the point of attack from the midfield, stretching the opposition’s defence and then tracking back into his own half for his defensive duties.
Khalil Bader and Nader Matar will shoulder the responsibility for attacks along either flank as the Cedars look for a second win on the trot. The team also will take lessons from its previous game, trying to strengthen its defensive channel on the right wing.
Right-back Hussein Zein had slacked early on in the previous game to allow Godine Tenene (of Vanuatu) to shoot from a distance while Vanuatu’s only goal also came, starting with a free-kick on the right.
Weather will play a key role here, especially in the case of Mongolia, which comes from one of the coldest corners of the world.
Having experienced snowfall a few days before flying to India, its trip has been that of an igloo to an oven so far.
After full-time against India, the Mongolian players were seen lying on the ground, gasping for breath, unable to even get up and return to the dressing room.
With its second match set to begin at 4:30 pm, instead of 7:30 pm like the previous game, Mongolia trained for two hours in the afternoon to acclimatise to the weather, a day before the game.
While Otsuka’s side failed to spoil the party of India on Friday, it will be interesting to see if it can pull a rabbit out of its hat here – coping with the heat, upsetting Lebanon and registering its first win in the Intercontinental Cup contest.
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